Freon vs. Puron

HeatCool Service Co. -- A Family Owned Business In Chicago Since 1956

Freon® 22 is the most commonly used refrigerant in residential homes today. However, per the Montreal Protocol, caps have been established to eliminate the production of Freon® 22.

• In 2004, there was a 35% reduction in R-22 production based on 1996 levels
• In 2010 there was a 65% 75% reduction in R-22 production (accelerated by 10% at the 20th anniversary meeting of the Montreal Protocol agreement in September 2007. This amendment was a unanimous decision.) In addition, manufacturers are now forced by the government to sell only non R-22 bearing equipment. There has been a scramble in the market over the past couple of years to re-design and re-tool factories to accommodate this rule.
• In 2015 a 90% reduction
• Finally in 2020 a 99.5 % reduction in the production of R-22. This means that during the time of these reductions with high demand. The law of supply and demand will prevail with the price of each pound of refrigerant increasing dramatically.

In the late 1980's, environmental concerns led to a total phase out of R-12 (a CFC) in automotive air conditioners. If you owned a vehicle during that time, you may have experienced first-hand the rapidly rising costs of R-12, or the expense of upgrading to new technology. In fact, during the years 1990 to 1997, our costs for R-12 increased over 600%.

What does all this mean?
During the lifetime of an air conditioning system purchased today, R-22 will be completely obsolete because the manufacture of R-22 will be banned.

Freon® 22, an HCFC also known as R-22, is a harmful refrigerant according to the Clean Air Act of 1990. It is currently being phased out of use and homeowners now are recommended to turn to Puron® refrigerant to maintain their indoor comfort.

Puron®, also known as R-410A, is approved by the EPA to replace Freon® 22 and is the world's first, long-term solution to ozone depletion.

Who makes Puron® products?
There's been one manufacturer who has led the industry in designing and testing cooling equipment that uses Puron®. That manufacturer is Carrier. For nearly 18 years, Carrier has had Puron®-based products installed all over the United States. Puron®-based products have also been proven to be the most reliable in the marketplace and have gained recognition nationwide for dependable operation.

With more than 20,000 active AHRI-rated product combinations that use Puron® refrigerant, you can trust Carrier to have the equipment you want and need to meet tomorrow's standards.

More information be found through the EPA link here -  https://www.epa.gov/ods-phaseout